December 28, 2000
Potholes get year-round attention
By Heidi Krieger
Staff Writer
Driving down the city and county roads, you may think there are more potholes this winter than normal. But Sue Kuhn, Tiffin's public works superintendent, said that the number of potholes this year is about the same as last year.
Jim Nimz, county engineer, agreed that there were not really more potholes this year.
The county has a year-round crew that fixes potholes. Nimz said they are out every day except when they are removing snow.
The county uses a cold mix, which is a special blend that is flexible yet compact, to patch potholes. This mix is usually a long-term fix.
City potholes are filled using a high-performance mix. This patch should stick in the pothole.
Kuhn said the cold patch will not stick if there is ice in the hole and this is the reason it may take a few days to fill in some pot holes.
Not all roads are prone to potholes. Nimz said newly paved roads are not as likely to get potholes.
Many times people will call to report potholes. "When we get a call we go out and check the whole road," Nimz said.
If a horrible pothole is noticed in town, contact the Public Works Department between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. or leave a voice mail message.
"We'll get to them as soon as we can," Kuhn said.